From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry

After reading 'from a whisper to a rallying cry', one thing stands out to me: Even after 40 years, Vincent Chin's case is still very much present in the world, the hate is still here and unforgivably living.
This book gave me a part of American/world history I didn't know. And showed me that I need to look harder at the world and history & today.
This book was a perfectly unbiased read; it made sure you felt the heartbreak of the case and that you knew everyone from Lily Chin to Eben were human, and it gave their sides and the facts. No one can claim it was biased or that it affected their opinion in this case. It, in the end, left me heartbroken.

Little note: I will be requesting my store and stores surrounding me to get this book. The hate and harassment that Asians in the world had to experience during the pandemic were awful, and I hope that many can read this and realize we must always fight for each other. We have to fight for the BLM, Chinese Muslims, and more.

"From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry" is pretty heavy for a Children's Nonfiction book, but appropriately so. Building on "Every truth has two sides; it is as well to look at both, before we commit ourselves to either," Yoo compiled a narrative of VIncent Chin's story (and beyond) from numerous vantage points, including those of the men who pled guilty to his death. The end product is a book as heartbreaking as it is detailed. The story follows Chin's story from his childhood, the local court, the local federal court, and its legal end in appeals court. Additional context is provided for how Lily Chin lived the rest of her life on earth, an update on the guilty party, and how Vincent's story led to changes in the legal system. The courtroom drama portion of the book may turn off younger readers, but the narrative spared from inline footnotes made it more compelling to me. I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry by Paula Yoo is a compelling narrative account of the terrible event that spawned Asian American civil rights movement.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was born in the late 80s so just slightly past when the last bit of these court proceedings passed. I still never heard anything about this story though. This book really touched my heart, especially in light of recent hate crimes against the AAPI population. This is an important book to read.

I admit, I had no idea who Vincent Chin was when I read this book, but the author, Paula Yoo, is someone I admire and am colleagues with within the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators community. Though not normally a big reader of nonfiction, I chose to read this book, and am glad I did.

I am a teacher of predominantly minorities, and am not afraid to admit that as a white woman, I have a level of privilege in the United States. So I always try to hear my students when they tell me about oppression and injustice they experience. And though I was only twelve myself when Vincent Chin's life was taken in Detroit, it hurts to admit we are no farther now from prejudice and bigotry and hate crimes than we were then. The difference is, now people speak up, and they rail against crimes against Asian-Americans in the same way we see other minority groups railing against injustices, i.e., Black Lives Matter.

I can't review this book the way I would review fiction. What I can say about it is that Yoo presented this story clearly, in a way that allows the reader to learn about the death of Vincent Chin and its aftermath. It is a well-told, factual story, with many endnotes backing up Yoo's text from her extensive research. And as we sit here still in the throes of a pandemic crudely referred to by prominent politicians using what amount to Asian insults/slurs, I can't help but hope that people read this book and learn from it, and stand up to neighbors and peers who commit hate crimes against Asian-Americans and all other oppressed minorities.

Thank you, Paula Yoo and Norton Books for Young Readers, for keeping Vincent Chin's memory alive.

Talk about things I didn’t learn in school! Although marketed as a YA title, adults will similarly benefit from reading Paula Yoo’s comprehensive account of the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin, an event that remains little-known outside of Asian American communities. We hear not just from Chin’s mother and his friends; we also hear from community members and advocates of Asian descent and otherwise. Interestingly, Yoo includes anecdotes from the perpetrator’s circle, and the perpetrator himself, but ultimately leaves it up to the reader to make their own judgment. In light of current anti-Asian sentiment, FROM A WHISPER makes for an especially timely read, and an excellent introduction to a frequently minimized part of history.

Reading this felt like grieving for a loved one even though I never knew Vincent Chin. I've known about Vincent Chin for almost a decade now, having first learned about him during my undergrad years, but this is my first time finding out about a lot of the nitty-gritty details of his death and the trials that followed. Reading the multiple witness testimonies describing the scene of his beating really broke me. It hurt a lot to read this, but remembering that we are undergoing a revival of Asian American activism gives me hope.